Power semiconductor devices, including rectifiers used for PFC (power factor correction) applications, that include a single material semiconductor device, such as a silicon-based power semiconductor device (e.g. silicon-based or SiC based diodes), are well known. For example, silicon carbide (SiC) high voltage schottky rectifiers offer an absence of recovery charges, which makes them suitable for hard switched, high frequency applications like power factor correction. However, such rectifiers typically have inherent weaknesses, such as a surge current capability and forward conduction limitations.
CSC transistors, e.g. heterojunction III-nitride based power semiconductor devices (referred to hereafter as compound semiconductor component, or CSC), for example, high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), metal insulator semiconductor (MISHEMTs), metal oxide semiconductor (MOSHEMTs), and the like devices, are known. An example of a bidirectional CSC is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/056,062, assigned to International Rectifier and incorporated herein by reference. It is known to arrange a bidirectional CSC with a diode in a cascode configuration in a circuit to obtain a rectifier suitable for applications such as PFC.
It is desirable to have a CSC packaged with a diode to use as a rectifier package that can be used as an integrated device in a power application such as a PFC.